Garrett Irks Gop With Bid For Credit

May 02, 1999|By Susan Kuczka, Tribune Staff Writer.

For the record, members of the Lake County delegation to the Illinois General Assembly are putting forth a united front in their efforts to land a new multi-university center for the far northern suburbs.

But behind the scenes, a pushing match of sorts has broken out between the area's Republican and Democratic lawmakers over who is going to get credit if the multimillion-dollar project eventually is approved by state lawmakers.

One reason for the skirmish is simple. Susan Garrett, a freshman Democratic lawmaker from Lake Forest, has annoyed some of her GOP colleagues by regularly issuing news releases announcing her part in the university project.

Garrett, a former communications marketing specialist, also has garnered media attention through her work to bring more state transportation dollars to Lake County by holding public forums that have included Illinois Department of Transportation officials and local municipal leaders.

But more significantly, Republicans are beginning to worry that Garrett could be unbeatable in what had been a GOP stronghold for decades.

"I don't think she can be beat," said one GOP lawmaker who is among those angered at what they consider to be self-serving tactics by an understandably enthusiastic freshman lawmaker.

While most of Lake County's GOP lawmakers will only discuss their obvious irritation with Garrett "off the record," Ant Simonian, executive director of the Lake County Republican Federation, was willing to publicly address the friction that's developed.

"I don't want to slam Susan, but she's making sure she gets credit for every little thing while our Republican lawmakers are spending their time making sure that business gets done," Simonian said.

Lt. Gov. Corinne Wood, a top Republican who has been instrumental in helping the Lake County delegation appear united as it seeks $12.5 million in state dollars for the university project, put a diplomatic spin on the situation.

"If everyone is scurrying around for credit, it's not helpful," Wood, also a Lake Forest resident, said after recently issuing her own press release to outline her efforts to convince Gov. George Ryan of the importance of the university project. It was Wood's vacated seat that Garrett won last year.

But even while Garrett has been the target of some Republican barbs, several GOP officials have tried to persuade her to switch parties before next year's election.

Garrett says there's no way she'll become an official member of the GOP despite the fact it undoubtedly would make her re-election bid next year easier.

"I consider myself an independent, and I don't think I would have the same kind of independence as a Republican as I do now as a Democrat," Garrett said.

Republicans, however, scoff at Garrett's claims of independence, saying she is as close to Democratic Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan of Chicago as a spider to a wall.

And they claim Garrett's high-profile successes are part of Madigan's efforts to prop her up before the 2000 election.

"Susan represents a district that is a `target' district, and they're getting ready for an election," said veteran state Sen. William Peterson (R-Long Grove).

By "target," Peterson is referring to the practice that both Democratic and Republican Party officials employ when they view an area as winnable and funnel thousands of dollars into the race.

The charge that Madigan is helping her is a familiar one to Garrett, the immediate past president of the Lake Forest/Lake Bluff League of Women Voters.

The district runs along the Lake Michigan shoreline through such upscale communities as Lake Forest and Lake Bluff, longtime GOP strongholds. But it also runs through such blue-collar towns as Waukegan and North Chicago, which is where Garrett racked up a considerable number of votes.

Garrett previously acknowledged that she accepted some $6,000 worth of staff support from Madigan in the early days of her 1998 campaign. Her campaign also attracted thousands of dollars from traditional Democratic Party supporters.

But Garrett, 49, maintains she has bent over backward to live up to her campaign promise to stay independent during her first tour of duty in Springfield.

"Madigan has had nothing to do with the progress I've made in the 59th District," said Garrett, who recently also helped persuade IDOT to release more than $1 million for emergency pothole repairs on U.S. Highway 41.

She also denies she has been grandstanding over the university issue as the lead sponsor of an amendment passed last week to restore $12.5 million in funding for the proposed university center. The money had unexpectedly been cut last month by a Senate committee.

Her Republican opponents say that a key component of promoting a candidate is to make sure the candidate generates lots of publicity. And the way to do that when the candidate is a freshman lawmaker is to make sure she has ample opportunity to shine.

But one disinterested observer says Garrett's performance and the GOP reaction is business as usual.

"For as long as I can remember, leaders of both parties have done all they can to help candidates in targeted districts," said Charles N. Wheeler III, director of the public affairs reporting program at the University of Illinois at Springfield. "If they didn't do it, they'd be criticized, and rightly so, for not doing their job."